


A Brotherly Bond

by Alec1913



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Action/Adventure, F/M, Friendship, M/M, Magic, Multi, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-22
Updated: 2018-03-28
Packaged: 2019-03-08 03:45:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,844
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13449843
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alec1913/pseuds/Alec1913
Summary: Killian, a young man travel to Camelot with a dream to serve the next king, Arthur Pendragon. He's content with his job and new friends, but destiny has something more planned for him and his friends.





	1. A New City and an Old Friend

The fading rays of sunlight warm my back as I walk around in the lower town of Camelot. I had gone to every inn and tavern I could find but I have nowhere to stay the night. "Damned tournament..." I whisper to myself. The city is packed with merchants, knights and people who have come to watch the tournament. This means that the chances of me receiving a room for the night are slowly draining away as the seconds tick by...

I should have hurried to Camelot, but when I was halfway there, I instead spent two days with my friend Mundric and his family. We hadn't seen each other for a long time, not since his father died three years ago. My stay at Mundric's caused me to arrive at Camelot almost three days later than I had anticipated, so I'm too late to get a room anywhere.  
I stop at a shop that sells all kinds of wood and small statues. A young boy standing beside me stares at a carved knight on a horse like it's the only thing he wants in the world...

He looks like he comes from a poor family by the way he's dressed. An old, worn-out tunic that is too big for him and pants with several small holes in them. Since the statue isn't expensive and I have a lot of extra money that I received from my father, I decide to buy the statue for the little boy.

I pick it up and purchase it along with a piece of wood, wondering what the expression on the boy's face will look like...

Then I turn to the boy and give the statue to him. "Here, take it, it's yours."

He looks at me as he takes it in his small hands. He stares at the statue in awe as he inspects it. His face then lights up as a smile grow across his features. He throws himself at me, arms around my waist, as he squeezes surprisingly tight for a boy his size.

"Thank you so much, kind sir!" The boy cheers, as he runs off to another boy around his age, proudly showing it off.

He reminds me of my little brother... I quickly push the thought away, I can't get homesick already if I'm going to live here.

I decide to just walk around to view the city since I have nothing better to do today. Tomorrow I'm gonna try to find a permanent place to stay. Then I can finally start my training to become a knight. Cheering can be heard from the tournament grounds and sweet and savoury smells flow through the streets of the city.

A group of knights are standing near a tavern down the road, talking to a drunk man, eventually having to restrain and lead him to the stocks. As they pass me their red cloaks flutter in the breeze. I start to drift off in my thoughts, wondering what living as a knight would be like and how I would help the people of Camelot. All of a sudden I stumble on a bag of apples, breaking me out of my daydreaming.

I look around, making sure no one saw me. My eyes reach two large towers and I realise how close I am to the castle. I decide to take a quick look. The castle is the largest I have ever seen, bigger and more impressive than I had imagined during all those nights on the road.

When I reach the courtyard I see two beautiful girls. They seem to be gossiping, as they laugh genuinely with each other. They are standing at the edge of the castle's stairs, one dressed in what looks like expensive clothing, and yet, they're clothes a servant would wear. I quickly brush myself off as I walk up to them, I immediately catch their attention.

"Excuse me, ladies. Do you know anywhere where I can spend the night?" I ask with a warm smile.

The girl with brown hair and the expensive dress looks at her friend for a second before turning her attention back to me.

"I do apologise sir. But unfortunately, I do not believe there to be any available inns at this time of year..." She answers apologetically. "Hope, have you heard different?" She asks and turns to her friend again.

"No, I'm afraid all inns and taverns are full right now due to the tournament." The girl with the red hair states, shaking her head at me.

"That's a shame. Well, thank you for your time then. Ladies." I smile and bow respectfully.

I decide to start walking back towards the lower part of town. I have not wandered far before I suddenly hear a voice calling out from behind me.

"Sir, please wait!"

I turn around. It's the girl with the red hair from earlier. She's running towards me with hurried steps. When she finally stops in front of me, she is panting.

"Yes?"

"I just wanted to let you know that if you can't find a place to stay tonight, you could perhaps stay with me? I have a spare room... And I was just thinking... If you want it?" She fumbles with her words but keeps her eyes on mine, a soft pink blush spreading across her cheeks.

I smile at her shyness.

"Really? that is very generous of you." I tell her, still smiling.

She hands me a small piece of parchment with directions.

"I remember how hard it was finding a home of my own when I first came here to Camelot, and since I have an empty room I thought... Why not help you out? She smiles, then her face grows serious. "But if you're going to be staying in my house I need to know your name, I will not have a stranger in my home."

"It's Killian, and you are Hope, right?" I ask politely.

"Correct!" She chirps. "Well, Killian, I guess I'll see you tonight." Hope gives me a smile as she walks back to her friend who seems to be giggling.

I just stand there in awe blushing, not really sure what just happened.

Now that I wouldn't have to spend the night sleeping on the bare ground a large weight on my shoulders disappeared. I walk around some more before sitting down on the grass outside the city gates.

A woman with a boy and a younger girl walk past me, the boy takes the girl's hand and guides her around a large puddle of water, it makes me think about my family.

My mother never wanted me to become a knight, she has always thought it was too dangerous. She doesn't want that life for me. She doesn't want to see me get hurt.

My father, on the other hand, encouraged me to go... He was always supportive of my adventures when I was a child and continued to be so as I was growing up. He wants me to see the world and use my skills for a good cause just like he had.

I think about Saxon and Skyla, my adoptive younger twin siblings. They aren't going to have it easy now that I'm gone, our mother has always been overprotective. I can feel the homesickness and guilt of leaving my family crawling onto me, so I take out my knife and the piece of wood that I bought out of my satchel and start carving.

I have been sitting there for a while when I hear a familiar voice. I stand up and look frantically around me to find the source. That's when I see him.

He's standing by a herb shop near the gates, talking to an old man. I almost don't believe it, what on earth could Merlin be doing in Camelot?


	2. Searching for a Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Killian spends the night at Hope's house and hangs out with Merlin.

I shove the knife and piece of wood down into my satchel. I then walk towards the herb shop where my friend was standing.

"Merlin?" I ask as I reach him, not sure if he would recognise me.

He turns around, he looks just as I remember him.

"Killian!" The young man cheers at the sight of me. He then pulls me into a friendly embrace.

After a moment, Merlin pulls away and steps back. "What are you doing here?" He asks happily.

"I am here to become a knight..." I answer truthfully and show him the sword on my belt. "What about you? What are you doing here?"

The old man Merlin had been talking to suddenly appear beside him.

"Merlin, who is this man?" He asks, looking at me with suspicion.

"Oh Gaius, sorry... This is my friend Killian." Merlin explains, gesturing to me.

Gaius reaches out his hand. He looks me straight in the eyes as I shake it. His grip is firm, but not threatening.

"Killian Doraine, it's a pleasure to meet you, sir." I greet him politely.

"Doraine...?" He asks as recognition sparks in his eyes. "Is your father Wilkes Doraine, by any chance?"

"Yes, do you know him?" I ask, surprised by his question.

"No not personally, but I have treated him for more than a few injuries many years ago," Gaius explains as he finally lets go of my hand.

I nod, smiling to myself, my father had told me many stories of his crazy adventures of being a knight, and how he always seemed to get hurt... Like the time when he got drunk before a joust and ended up falling off his horse right in front of king Cenred. He fractured two ribs and got a concussion. Of course, my mother was furious.

"Gaius is the court physician, I'm his apprentice," Merlin explains, breaking me out of my thoughts.

Gaius gives me a slight grin. "He's also prince Arthur's Manservant."

Merlin's smile disappears and is replaced with an annoyed expression.

Merlin, a manservant? Realisation dawns on me, and I can't stop the laugh that breaks out.

"You're a servant, Merlin? You poor boy" I joke as I try to pull a straight face.

"Do you empty his chamber pot and help him get dressed?" I chuckle and teasingly ruffle his short black hair.

"Oh, you don't know the half of it." Merlin laughs, trying to brush his hair back into place.

Merlin and I joke around about old times while Gaius purchase what he needs.

He then turns to us and shoves the bag to Merlin.

"So Killian... Do you live here in Camelot?" Gaius asks, still glaring at me with suspicion.

"Uhm...No, I actually arrived today. I have found a place to stay for tonight..." I stammer. "I plan to make this city my home, but I'm yet to find permanent living accommodations."

Merlin shines up like the sun and almost jumps from excitement.

"You can stay with us! Can't he Gaius?!" Merlin pleads with the old man.

"I suppose..." He responds broodingly. "We could fix up the storage room for you... It wouldn't be ideal, but it could work."

"You would? Oh, that would be fantastic!" I cheer.

I must be imagining things, but for a moment I could have sworn that Gaius actually smiled at me...

"Great. We have to go now I'm afraid... Merlin has chores to do and I need to get some potions ready for tonight." He excuses himself and slaps Merlin playfully on his back.

"Come over tomorrow, if you can't find your way you can just ask one of the guards," Gaius instructs. He seems to be in a slight rush so I keep my answer short.

"Alright, I'll see you tomorrow then," I respond gratefully as I watch Gaius leaves towards the castle.

Merlin puts a hand on my shoulder. "I'll be at the tournament with Arthur tomorrow, you should come and watch it too."

I shrug and smile at my friend. "I suppose I can check it out, to take a look at the competition."

Merlin gives me a quick hug before he runs after Gaius.

I hadn't realised it, but it had almost become completely dark outside. I take out the parchment that I had received from Hope and start to search for the house.

It took longer than I expected it to, but I finally find the small building. It's placed right next to a smithy, but no one seems to have been working in it for a few years.

I knock on the door and Hope answers almost immediately.

"There you are. I almost thought you had forgotten about me or found other accommodations." She moves to the side to let me in. Her green eyes shine in the darkness.

I walk inside before turning to her. "My apologies... I ran into an old friend."

I look around me. "Where do I sleep?"

Hope walks past me and opens a door. "This is the room you'll be sleeping in." Hope states, gesturing for me to go inside.

I walk up to her and take a curious look inside. It is pretty small but it has a bed and a table, good enough for me. I step into the room with her.

Hope looks up at me, looking as though she is reading my expression in search of approval. "Is it okay?" She asks, biting her bottom lip.

"Of course, this will be perfectly fine, much better than the ground I slept on yesterday." I look at her with a seductive smirk. She is blushing again.

We walk out of the room and sit down at the table in the kitchen.

"So, what do you work with?" I ask curiously as she sets down a glass of wine in front of me.

"I work in the castle, I'm in the kitchen most of the time. What about you?" She takes a sip from her glass but keeps eye contact with me the whole time.

"I don't have any work right now, but I aspire to be a knight."

"Then you have come to the right city, we have the finest knights of all the kingdoms." She states proudly.

"I know, that's why I came here. My father was a knight of Camelot before he injured his knee."

"If your father was a knight why didn't you go to Uther and ask him if you could stay in the castle yesterday?" Hope looks somewhat perplexed and tilts her head slightly, resembling a puppy.

"There are already many knights and other noble folk staying in the castle for the tournament. Not only that, my friend works as a servant for the Prince, it wouldn't feel right to live there and watch him run around after noblemen," I explain, looking down at my glass of wine before drinking the last of it in one go.

"I see... How do you know Merlin?"

"We're childhood friends... My mother and father know his mother so we grew up together, almost like brothers. We weren't raised divided by social statuses and I don't agree with how some noblemen mistreat their servants, it's disgusting." I take a deep breath to calm myself down. "If I was offered to stay in the castle I would refuse, I'm going to live with Merlin and Gaius."

"Well, I'm glad to hear you've found somewhere to stay. Anyway, I think it's time for me to go to sleep, I have to be in the kitchen early tomorrow." Hope takes the empty glass from me, and her fingertips brush over mine. A tingling sensation runs through my fingers and through the rest of my body.

"Of course, I think I will go to bed as well," I suggest, gathering my hands at the end of the table. She yawns and nods in agreement as we stand up. I wait until Hope has cleared the table and then she follows me into my room.

"If you need anything I'll be out here." She says as she rushes out of the small room.

"Alright. Goodnight Hope." I call. She stops at the threshold.

"Goodnight Killian." She says with a sigh as she turns to me with a warm smile before she steps out.

I can do nothing but smile back... She is charming.

I close the door and undress. I then blow out the candle on the table and get into the bed, falling asleep almost instantly.

The following day after I had met with Gaius I went to watch the tournament. The match between two knights I didn't know the names off had just finished. Next up was the prince, Arthur Pendragon.

I spot Merlin standing away from the crowd, leaning against a wall, watching his master fight. I decide to walk up to him. He turns to face me and together we stand and watch the two men fighting for victory, the crowd cheering them on.

Merlin gives me a nod towards Arthur. "He's good." He says, beaming with pride.

"Yes, he is very good." I agree. "So, how is it being a servant boy to the future king?" I ask, genuinely curious.

Merlin shrug. "It's actually not that bad, it's a lot of hard work, but he treats me better than I could have ever imagined." He smiles, looking down at the ground.

Is he blushing?

Merlin and I had been so distracted by our conversation we didn't notice that Arthur had won the match. The blonde prince is just a few steps away when we notice him... I can see Merlin starting to fiddle nervously with his fingers.

Arthur throws his shield to Merlin who catches it right before it hits the ground. Then Arthur stops in front of me.

"Who are you?" He asks curiously, looking at Merlin and me.

"Killian Doraine, my lord. I'm here to become a knight, and if I'm good enough, one of yours." I state with confidence as I look him in the eyes.

"Is that so?" He asks. He sounds surprised. "Well, recruiting starts next week, make sure to get some armour before then If you don't already have it." The prince smacks me in the chest before he continues walking towards the courtyard, Merlin following him close behind with the shield in his arms. I turn to look after them.

There is something there, something more than just a servant and a prince...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked this chapter, I'm trying to piece together the timeline of the show with my story right now, it's taking some time. 
> 
> Thank you for reading! <3


	3. Knights and Noblemen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Today is Killian's first day as a knight in training and the first challenge is a duel...

I wake up to the sound of Gaius setting up plates for breakfast. I jump out of bed and put my clothes on, glancing towards my brand new armour. I walk out of my room and take a look out of the window with a yawn, watching the first rays of sunlight hit the stone ground in the courtyard. Gaius turns to me as he sits down with his plate of food.

"Killian, what are you doing up already, your training isn't until mid-day."

"I can't sleep... Where's Merlin? I ask as I rub my eyes.

"He just left, he said something about picking up clothes for Arthur in the kitchens. Do you want some breakfast?"

"Thank you Gaius, but I'm far too nervous to eat."

"At least eat something, or you won't have any energy later" Gaius argues, gesturing to the food on the table.  
I walk up to him and grab an apple, giving him a smile before walking out the door.

I sit down on the edge of the castle stairs, watching the working people go about their day. I'm just about to take a bite of my apple when I hear a voice behind me.

"Who have we here? Could it be one of Camelot's courageous knights?" I look up to see Hope's long red hair. She sits down next to me.

"Hope, I'm not a knight yet," I respond. She suddenly grows serious.

"But you will be, I know it." She says and puts her hand on my shoulder.

"How can you be so certain?"

"Because my heart tells me you will be a great knight, and I trust my heart." A guard walks past, staring at us. Hope starts to look around us and she suddenly seems nervous.

"I should get back to the kitchen."

"But you just sat down, do you really have to go already? Please, stay?"

"Killian, we are sitting on the stairs of the castle, talking, like friends. It's not acceptable for servants and noble folk to have such close relationships if any relationships at all." She mumbles, looking down at the ground.

"But almost no one here knows who I am, let alone that I'm from a noble family," I argue.

"They will, sooner or later they will find out and we won't be able to be friends anymore, the king and his laws will see to that."

"It isn't right. There shouldn't be laws against these kinds of things." I mutter, watching her closely to see her reaction. She turns to me, clearly upset.

"I know... I, I have to go." Hope quickly stands up and walks away with hurried steps.

Did I say something wrong? Is she so worried about what people think? 

I force myself to eat my apple and then I head back home. I sit down at the table and play around with a pear from the fruit bowl. I can't get Hope's words out of my head.

"Are you going to eat that?" Gaius asks, glancing at me over his potion.

"Probably not... Gaius?" I respond, not sure if I should ask him about my problem or not.

"Yes?" He answers, walking up to me.

"Is it impossible for a nobleman and a female servant to be close friends or... Have a relationship?"

"I wouldn't say impossible, but it would certainly not be accepted here in the city. Are you asking for any special reason?"

"Yes... The girl I stayed with on my first day here, Hope, I like her. She says that we can't see each other because she's a servant and I'm noble. What do I do? Is she right?"

"I'm afraid she is, dear boy... Not only are you of noble birth, your father was one of Uther's knights and you could be one of Arthur's, that makes you special. Uther could fire or even banish the poor girl from Camelot just because of your relationship."

"So that's it? It can never be?"

"No, at least not while Uther is king. Maybe in the future, Arthur will change that."

I slam my head on the table, frustrated by the thought of not being able to see Hope, not even as friends.

"Now now," Gaius gives me a pat on my back. "It's almost mid-day, you don't want to be late for your first training session."

I nod and go to my room with heavy steps to get ready. As I start to put on my armour I drop my gloves over and over again, my hands shaking more and more every time. I have just put my chainmail on when Merlin walks in. I flinch, turn around and drop my gloves yet again.

"Merlin, what are you doing here?! Shouldn't you be with Arthur?"

"I thought you might need some support. Arthur can manage, besides, I wanted to see how you're feeling."

"To be honest, I'm scared out of my wits. What if I make a fool of myself out there?"

"You won't... I have seen you fight more times than I can count, don't doubt yourself."

I smile at my friend but I'm not convinced by his kind words. I fasten my sword belt around my hips and look up to see Merlin holding my sword in front of me.

"Let's do this!" He encourages me as I take the sword and shakingly run it into its sheath.

 

We walk together to the training grounds. It seems that we're the first ones there, except for the prince, who's sitting on a bench reading a piece of parchment. He hears us and looks up, putting the parchment down on the bench. We walk over to him and he stands up.

"Killian, you came." He holds out his hand. I shake it, hoping he can't see how nervous I am.

"I Wouldn't miss it for the world, my lord."

"Please, just say Arthur." I nod in agreement to Arthur's request.

"When I told my father that you've come to Camelot he said he wished you had come and visited him," Arthur says as he sits down again.

"I will go today then if the king wishes to see me."

"Good, I'm sure he'll be pleased. He hasn't been himself for a long time and he was always fond of your father. Seeing you might do him some good."

Arthur goes back to his parchment and Merlin gives me an encouraging smile.  
An hour later the other men have arrived and some of the knights have come to watch. We have gone through the basics and have almost finished our first test, to fight each other within a time limit. It's my turn, I get ready to meet my opponent and Arthur calls out a name that makes the blood in my veins turn to ice. 

Cormoran De Lis. He has been holding a grudge against me since I won over his father in a duel several years ago. Back then he was just like other boys our age, but now he had grown to be both taller and bigger than me. He scowls at me, and we each give Arthur a nod.

The time starts and we pull out our swords. My heart starts pounding. Cormoran charges, forcing me to jump to the side to avoid being struck. As soon as my feet are steady I attack him but he blocks and pushes me away. I try again, this time throwing him off his balance. He wobbles for a few steps, but the next thing I know something hard crashes into my face. It all happened so fast. There's a throbbing pain in my lower lip. I stumble and Cormoran pushes me to the ground, sits on top of me and throws a few more punches. I protect my head with my arms, blood flowing from my lip, it's metallic taste filling my mouth as I inhale. I spit it out by a reflex, specks of blood hitting Cormoran's face.

"I'm gonna make sure that you never become a knight, for what you did to my father. You're gonna be just as humiliated and broken as he was." He growls, trying to pin my arms to the ground.

I try to grab my sword, realising that it's been kicked to the side and out of my reach. I've lost this fight. Cormoran stands up. He looks down at me with a smirk growing on his face, then he spits, just missing my face. The whole field is quiet. Two knights help me up and guide me back to the line. I wipe the blood from my chin and stand up straight, trying to hide my hands shaking. Merlin looks at me and touches his own lip. I give him a nod, silently telling him that I'm okay, which of course is a lie. Arthur hands his piece of parchment to the taller one of the knights that helped me up.

"Your next test will be fighting my knights. I have assigned each of you to them by chance. You can be attacked at any moment during this week. You may not use your swords, good luck." Arthur gives his knights the instructions for their task and then walks towards the castle with Merlin trailing behind him.  
I talk for a few minutes with the other men, tend to my lip and clean up the blood that had dripped down my neck before I walk to the castle.

As I walk into the throne room Uther gets up from his throne to greet me but stays within its reach, he seems unsteady on his feet. I stop in front of him and bow respectfully.

"Killian Doraine, welcome to Camelot." The king exclaims, he seems tired and almost distant.

"Thank you, sire, my father would have come as well but he wasn't feeling well when I left." Recognition sparks in the king's eyes when I mention my father.

"I hope he recovers quickly." Uther puts his hand on my shoulder. "I haven't seen you since you were a young boy! Why don't you come live here in one of the chambers, we have plenty of room."

"That's very generous, sire, but I am already staying somewhere." Uther gives me a slight smile.

"Yes, my son told me. You're staying with Gaius and his young apprentice." He chuckles and sits down again. "Very well, do as you wish."

"Thank you, your majesty."

"I also heard that you're taking part in the knight trials. Your father will be very proud, I'm sure." He sighed. "Now, I apologise for this short conversation, but I have to rest a bit. You must come and visit me again. If you take after your father you might become one of the best knights of the kingdom."

"Of course, I will do my best sire," I respond as I bow one more time.  
Uther nods and I walk out of the room, passing the brown-haired woman I had seen with Hope before.

 

During the rest of the day, I walk around the city mindlessly. Once it starts to get dark outside I go to the tavern which is packed with people. I sit down at the end of a table and order a few pints of mead, drowning my disappointment and anger with the beverage. I'm staring down into my seventh pint when a group of people sit down next to me. I look up and see Merlin staring back at me with a worried look on his face.

"Killian, how are you feeling?"

"Well, I'm a little down... I lost my first fight of the trials, I can't be with the girl I like and... This mead is too sweet!" I mutter, pushing the pint away from me with a disgusted scowl.

"I want you to meet some of my friends. This is Gwaine, Percival, Leon and Elyan." Merlin gestured towards the men. They were wearing red cloaks with the golden Pendragon crest.

"Hey, you are all knights!" I blurt out without thinking. "And you two helped me up today." I point at the taller blonde man and the shorter brown haired man.

"I'm Gwaine, this is Percival." The brown-haired man said and gestured to the taller man.

I shake their hands and turn to the other two knights next to Merlin. Then I recognise one of the faces, Sir Leon, I had met him a few times on several tournaments and parties. 

"Leon, I almost didn't recognise you."

"Nor I you, your hair is much longer than last time I saw you."

"And you seem shorter."

We laugh and I shift my attention to last one of the knights. He holds out his hand and I shake it.

"I'm Elyan." He says with a smile.

"I'm Killian," I grab my pint again. "And I think I might be a little drunk," I mumble, bringing the pint to my mouth, but before I can drink anything Merlin grabs it, trying to take it from me.

"I think you've had enough for tonight." Merlin cooed, trying to bend the pint out of my hand, without luck.

"Nooo, I want more. I'm thirsty!" I grumble and turn to Gwaine. "Wh... Whadda you think, one more pint, right?" I ask him, but Gwaine just laughs. 

"You just said that it was too sweet." Merlin recall, now with both hands on the pint trying to stop me from drinking.

"W-w-well I changed my mind... Give it 'ere!" I shout and pull the pint out of Merlin's grip, accidentally hitting my lip and spilling mead all over my clothes. Merlin and the other chuckles.

"Okay, it's definitely time to go home now. Leon, Gwaine, can you help me carry him?" He asks while he pays the server.

The two knights nod and stand up, lifting me up and supporting me. Merlin guides us out of the tavern and, despite my complaints, we walk home in the chilly evening.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was very fun but tricky to write, I hope you liked it!
> 
> Thank you for reading! <3


	4. Merlin's Bad Feeling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Merlin and his friends carry a drunk Killian home. Merlin has a worrying feeling through the next day and the knights are curious about Killian.

**Merlin**

As we walk into the physician's chamber Killian mumbles something unclear, drooling on himself as he speaks.

"Sorry Killian, what was that?" Gwaine asks, smiling at my drunk friend.

"I think he asked why he's so wet" Leon laughs and helps Gwaine set Killian down on the bed. "He must have really missed you, Merlin, if he sleeps in this tiny room just to live near you." Leon teases, looking around in the room.

I chuckle. "Killian has never been the greedy type, I bet he would sleep on the street if it meant he'd be with his friends."

"Should we undress him? I don't think he's able to do it himself." Percival asks, pointing at Killian, who's fallen asleep and is now drooling on his pillow.

"No, I can take it from here, thank you for helping me get him home."

Leon, Percival and Elyan leave, but Gwaine stays behind. He helps me undress Killian and then we sit down on the floor by the door.

"So, Killian is the childhood friend you've been talking about?"

"Yeah, we're more like brothers than friends really. I'm so happy that he's here. I know he will be a great knight."

"You're really sure that he's gonna make it, aren't you?" I nod. "Good. We're in need of a great knight now after we've lost Lancelot."

"Lancelot was one of the greatest, I miss him. He would have loved Killian you know, they are so alike."

"I think they would have been good friends. Killian will make it, I saw how Arthur looked at him today. Even though he lost I know that Arthur saw his potential. And Arthur would never knight Cormoran who mocks and spits on another man after a duel, let alone another knight. Besides, Killian was fighting a man almost double his size."

"I'm a little worried about him. He's always been so happy and confident, I wonder what could have happened to make him so insecure about himself."

"Insecure? He seemed fine during the duel, and any man would feel bad after losing a fight."

"You didn't see him before training, he was about to break down, I have never seen him like that."

"Well, then I guess we have to help him regain his confidence..." Gwaine stands up. "I should probably go home and get some sleep, I have patrol tomorrow."

"Sure, I'll finish up here."

Gwaine and I say goodnight, I wash Killian's mead-soaked shirt and go to bed.

I wake up to darkness with a pit in my stomach. Something feels wrong. I get dressed, make some breakfast and walk out of the chamber, tiptoeing through the room trying not to wake Gaius. I eat my breakfast on the way to the armoury and get started on my chores, polishing Arthur's armour and bringing him breakfast. I talk him through the schedule for today and clean his room while he's on a meeting.

The day goes on, Gwaine, Percival and I watch Killian during his practice, everything goes well but I can't shake away the feeling that something is wrong. As I give Arthur his dinner he gives me a worried look.  
"What?" I ask, taking a step back.

"Something is clearly bothering you, what is it?"

"What are you talking about, I'm fi-"

"Merlin you've hardly spoken a word since this morning! Tell me, what's wrong?"

"It's Killian. I think he's in love."

"Isn't that usually a good thing?"

"Yes, but he's in love with one of the kitchen maids and I'm worried that he'll be ridiculed for it, he's got enough on his mind already with the knight trial and his father being ill."

"And there's nothing else?"

"No, nothing else." I lie.

I get everything ready for Arthur to go to bed while he's eating. When he's done I take his plate.

"Is there anything else for today sire?"

"No, It's alright, you can go home."

I walk to the door only to be stopped by Arthur's call.

"Merlin?"

"Yes?"

"You said Killian's father is ill... Is it bad?"

"They don't know for sure yet. But he's a strong-willed man, he'll get better."

Arthur nods and I go to the kitchen and wash the plate. 

On my way home I run into Gwaine and Percival. We go to the tavern and sit down at a table in a corner.

"Ahh, I needed that. I'm exhausted." Percival sighs as he sets down his tankard.

"It's been a long day?" I ask.

"Yes. We had patrol this morning and then training. After that, we met up with you and watched the trials, and then we exercised our horses. Then we trained with Killian."

Gwaine nods in agreement. "Merlin I have to ask something. You said yesterday that he has just suddenly become insecure, but when was the last time you saw him before a fight?"

"It was before I came to Camelot. He didn't have that scar over his eye back then."

"Do you know how he got it?" Percival asks.

"No, I've never asked and he's never told me. It was probably during a fight or something like that."

They nod and soon Percival starts telling a story about their patrol. We finish our pints and then go home. I eat the meal Gaius had left for me and get ready for bed. I open the window to let in some fresh air and look up at the moon for a minute.

As I sit down on my bed the pit in my stomach returns, now bigger than before. It's like something is getting closer, something bad. There's a quiet knock on my door. It opens and Killian looks inside.

"Can I come in? I haven't seen you all day." He whispers and sneaks inside, closing the door behind him.

"Yeah, I've been busy with chores. I heard you trained with Percival and Gwaine earlier."

"They were nice letting me train with them," Killian says with a silly grin on his face. Suddenly, he grows serious, sniffing in the air. "Do you smell smoke?" He asks, looking around the room for a fire source.

"Yes, now that you mention it..." I answer, now sniffing myself.

Killian rushes up to the window. "Fire..." he whispers. I walk up to him and look out over the city. My eyes catch orange flames roaring inside a small house.

"That's in the lower town!" I exclaim. Killian runs out of the room, grabs a bucket and turns to me.

"Get Arthur and the knights!" He shouts before sprinting outside and out of the courtyard towards the fire.

I run as fast as I can to Arthur's chamber, waking him from his sleep and then continue with the other knights. As I wake Gwaine the bells start ringing, warning the citizens of the fire. We run outside to help. The fire has spread to other houses and there is a line of people transporting buckets of water from the well to the fire, Killian stands in the front line, throwing water into the houses. In all the chaos I use my magic to weaken the flames and eventually the water kills them, now there is only smoke from the burnt wood.

In the morning Arthur calls a meeting about the fire.

"As you all know, a fire erupted last night in a house in the lower town. Fortunately, no one died and only a handful was harmed by the fire. Three houses were destroyed and almost the whole street has been evacuated due to the smoke. The owner of the house claim that the fire started when one of his cats knocked over a candle. I want to thank everyone in here that helped during the fire, you saved a lot of people tonight."

Everyone clap their hands while Arthur walks out of the throne room. He looks tired from being up all night.  
I follow him to his chamber and close the doors behind me.  
"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine Merlin, just tired." He says while rubbing his eyes. He walks up to me and pats me on the back. "You were great tonight, acting so quick when the fire started. It was brave of you."

"Oh, Killian was the one who saw it first! the owner would have died if Killian hadn't gone into the house to save him. Anyway, all I did was wake you up and pass a few buckets of water." I mumble.

"Merlin would you shut up when I'm trying to compliment you!" Arthur shouts, now with both of his hands on my shoulders.

I blush and look down and the floor. "Sorry."

"You can have the day off today, get some sleep."

I nod and do as I'm told, not that I need the encouragement, I'm exhausted!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone, I hope you liked this chapter! I've just started working on chapter five.
> 
> I'm gonna have a few chapters from Merlin's pov, let me know if you like it!

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading, please tell me what you think in the comments! I'd also like to thank my friend Sophia96 for helping me with this chapter!


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